User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system: Difference between revisions

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{{Mbox|type=notice|text=Please use this page's [[User_talk:Mousemambo/Scala_tuning_system|Discussion page]] for comments and suggestions. Or you can join the discussion in the #wiki channel of the Xenharmonic Alliance's [https://discord.com/invite/FSF5JFT Discord server]. This developing page is initially just an outline, but will be expanded into a proper page. Please note that I used square brackets to indicate personal notes to myself for article development, but these will all be removed in the final document.}}

{{Mbox|type=notice|text=This page is being explored as a possible new main space article. Much of its content might best be split out into a "Scala scale file" page and a "Scala keyboard mapping file" page, but part of the reason to explore this page is to figure that out. This page is part of a set of pages intended to work together, including "[[User:Mousemambo/Tuning_methods|Tuning methods]]," and "[[User:Mousemambo/Document_draft|Guide to Tuning a Software Synth in a DAW]]." The proposed article title "Scala tuning system" is not entirely ideal because "tuning system" is also used to mean a musical tuning, but this seems the best compromise to me. The alternative "Scala tuning files system" or "Scala tuning files" is unattractive because "Scala tuning file" is used as a synonym for the more correct term "Scala scale file."}}

~~The Scala~~ tuning ~~system is a standard specification for establishing a [[Periodic scale|periodic]] [[~~tuning system~~]] or music [[scale]], which can be interpreted by [[List of music software#Software instruments|software]] and [[Instruments#Electronic instruments|electronic musical instruments]]~~ that ~~use [[MIDI]] data~~. ~~Musical instruments that support this standard allow flexible~~ tuning ~~beyond [[12edo|12-EDO]]. Complete support for the standard requires using two files, a scale file~~ and ~~a keyboard mapping file. Some instruments supports only the~~ Scala ~~scale file, and therefore require manually setting~~ the ~~tuning base or [[tonic]] and a [[Reference tone|tuning reference]] [[note]] [[pitch]~~] ~~[[frequency]].~~

[''I am '''strongly''' leaning toward renaming this article "SCALA TUNING FILE SYSTEM" and referring in general to "tuning file systems" to reduce the ambiguity with the term "tuning system" that refers to something related but significantly different. The "12edo tuning system" and "Scala tuning system" don't belong to the same category of things.'']

A Scala scale file defines the number of notes in the tuning, and their [[Interval|intervallic relationship]] with the note serving as the tuning base (which may be a tonic). The scale file does not anchor the tuning base to a specific MIDI note, nor set absolute pitch frequencies for any notes in the tuning. A Scala mapping file states the range of MIDI notes to be retuned, identifies a MIDI note anchor for the tuning base, and also identifies a tuning reference note and sets its absolute pitch ~~frequency~~. The mapping file can also assign notes of the tuning to specific MIDI notes, which maps the tuning's notes to a standard piano [[keyboard]] or more [[Keyboard#Alternative keyboards|unusual controller]].

The Scala tuning system is a standard specification for establishing a [[Periodic scale|periodic]] [[tuning system]] or music [[scale]], which can be interpreted by [[List of music software#Software instruments|software]] and [[Instruments#Electronic instruments|electronic musical instruments]] that use [[MIDI]] data. Musical instruments that support this standard allow flexible tuning beyond [[12edo|12-EDO]]. Complete support for the standard requires using two files, a scale file and a keyboard mapping file. Some instruments support only the Scala scale file, and therefore require manually setting the tuning base or [[tonic]] and a [[Reference tone|tuning reference]] [[note]] and its [[pitch]] [[frequency]].

A Scala scale file defines the number of notes in the tuning, and their [[Interval|intervallic relationship]] with the note serving as the tuning base (which may be a tonic). The scale file does not anchor the tuning base to a specific MIDI note, nor set absolute pitch frequencies for any notes in the tuning. A Scala mapping file states the range of MIDI notes to be retuned, identifies a MIDI note anchor for the tuning base, and also identifies a tuning reference note and sets its absolute pitch. The mapping file can also assign notes of the tuning to specific MIDI notes, which maps the tuning's notes to a standard piano [[keyboard]] or more [[Keyboard#Alternative keyboards|unusual controller]].

'''Temporary Outline'''

#Overview

~~##Tunings vs. scales~~

~~##Tunings vs. MIDI notes~~

#Scala scale file

##What the scale file does

Line 21:

###Selects a MIDI note for the tuning base

###Selects a MIDI note as the tuning reference note

###Sets the tuning reference note to a reference pitch ~~frequency~~

###Sets the tuning reference note to a reference pitch

###Identifies which MIDI notes will be retuned

###Maps notes of the tuning (scale degrees) to MIDI notes of the controller

Line 27:

##Scala keyboard mapping file format

#Scala tuning in practice

##Tuning systems vs. scales

##Scales vs. MIDI notes

##Tonic vs. tuning base

##Just intonation tunings and their tonic

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Mbox|type=notice|text=Please use this page's [[User_talk:Mousemambo/Scala_tuning_system|Discussion page]] for comments and suggestions. Or you can join the discussion in the #wiki channel of the Xenharmonic Alliance's [https://discord.com/invite/FSF5JFT Discord server]. This developing page is initially just an outline, but will be expanded into a proper page. Please note that I used square brackets to indicate personal notes to myself for article development, but these will all be removed in the final document.}}
 {{Mbox|type=notice|text=This page is being explored as a possible new main space article. Much of its content might best be split out into a "Scala scale file" page and a "Scala keyboard mapping file" page, but part of the reason to explore this page is to figure that out. This page is part of a set of pages intended to work together, including "[[User:Mousemambo/Tuning_methods|Tuning methods]]," and "[[User:Mousemambo/Document_draft|Guide to Tuning a Software Synth in a DAW]]." The proposed article title "Scala tuning system" is not entirely ideal because "tuning system" is also used to mean a musical tuning, but this seems the best compromise to me. The alternative "Scala tuning files system" or "Scala tuning files" is unattractive because "Scala tuning file" is used as a synonym for the more correct term "Scala scale file."}}
-The Scala tuning system is a standard specification for establishing a [[Periodic scale|periodic]] [[tuning system]] or music [[scale]], which can be interpreted by [[List of music software#Software instruments|software]] and [[Instruments#Electronic instruments|electronic musical instruments]] that use [[MIDI]] data. Musical instruments that support this standard allow flexible tuning beyond [[12edo|12-EDO]]. Complete support for the standard requires using two files, a scale file and a keyboard mapping file. Some instruments supports only the Scala scale file, and therefore require manually setting the tuning base or [[tonic]] and a [[Reference tone|tuning reference]] [[note]] [[pitch]] [[frequency]].
+[''I am '''strongly''' leaning toward renaming this article "SCALA TUNING FILE SYSTEM" and referring in general to "tuning file systems" to reduce the ambiguity with the term "tuning system" that refers to something related but significantly different. The "12edo tuning system" and "Scala tuning system" don't belong to the same category of things.'']
-A Scala scale file defines the number of notes in the tuning, and their [[Interval|intervallic relationship]] with the note serving as the tuning base (which may be a tonic). The scale file does not anchor the tuning base to a specific MIDI note, nor set absolute pitch frequencies for any notes in the tuning. A Scala mapping file states the range of MIDI notes to be retuned, identifies a MIDI note anchor for the tuning base, and also identifies a tuning reference note and sets its absolute pitch frequency. The mapping file can also assign notes of the tuning to specific MIDI notes, which maps the tuning's notes to a standard piano [[keyboard]] or more [[Keyboard#Alternative keyboards|unusual controller]].
+The Scala tuning system is a standard specification for establishing a [[Periodic scale|periodic]] [[tuning system]] or music [[scale]], which can be interpreted by [[List of music software#Software instruments|software]] and [[Instruments#Electronic instruments|electronic musical instruments]] that use [[MIDI]] data. Musical instruments that support this standard allow flexible tuning beyond [[12edo|12-EDO]]. Complete support for the standard requires using two files, a scale file and a keyboard mapping file. Some instruments support only the Scala scale file, and therefore require manually setting the tuning base or [[tonic]] and a [[Reference tone|tuning reference]] [[note]] and its [[pitch]] [[frequency]].
+A Scala scale file defines the number of notes in the tuning, and their [[Interval|intervallic relationship]] with the note serving as the tuning base (which may be a tonic). The scale file does not anchor the tuning base to a specific MIDI note, nor set absolute pitch frequencies for any notes in the tuning. A Scala mapping file states the range of MIDI notes to be retuned, identifies a MIDI note anchor for the tuning base, and also identifies a tuning reference note and sets its absolute pitch. The mapping file can also assign notes of the tuning to specific MIDI notes, which maps the tuning's notes to a standard piano [[keyboard]] or more [[Keyboard#Alternative keyboards|unusual controller]].
 '''Temporary Outline'''
 #Overview
-##Tunings vs. scales
-##Tunings vs. MIDI notes
 #Scala scale file
 ##What the scale file does
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 ###Selects a MIDI note for the tuning base
 ###Selects a MIDI note as the tuning reference note
-###Sets the tuning reference note to a reference pitch frequency
+###Sets the tuning reference note to a reference pitch
 ###Identifies which MIDI notes will be retuned
 ###Maps notes of the tuning (scale degrees) to MIDI notes of the controller
@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 ##Scala keyboard mapping file format
 #Scala tuning in practice
+##Tuning systems vs. scales
+##Scales vs. MIDI notes
 ##Tonic vs. tuning base
 ##Just intonation tunings and their tonic